Cannon



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. J. BLOOD.

CANNON. No. 595,464. Patented Dec. 14, 1897.

W U 34 m 2 Ewe/ZZZ n: NORRIS PETERS m1. murouwo" wAswmcnw o c (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. J. BLOOD. CANNON.

No. 595,464. 4 Patented Dec. 14,1897.

3 Sheets- Sheet 3. E. J. BLOOD.

No Model.)

CANNON.

No. 595,464. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN J. BLOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CANNON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,464, dated December 14, 1897.

Application filed March 1, 1897- Serlal No. 625,609. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. BLOOD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cannons, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ordnance construction, and while it is more especially intended for use in the construction of cannons or large guns for coast defense, yet it is applicable to ordnance or guns of different sizes, or those to be used in the field, on board a man-of-war, or in other places; and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction and in the novel arrangement and operation of the Various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The objects of my invention are to provide a cannon in which by reason of the peculiar construction, arrangement, and operation of its parts the initial strain of the gun may be produced and regulated by mechanical means independent of the agency of heat and which neutralizes or prohibits the vibration produced by the discharge or explosion of powder from causing granulation or crystallization of the fiber of the metal of which the cannon is composed; to enable heavy cannon to be constructed with all the advantages of great weight, but without the disadvantages thereof, the same being made and assembled or mounted in sections and in a very short time; to construct a gun possessing greater strength, as well as greater durability, and which by the nature of its construction admits of an accurate calculation being made to show the power of resistance which it possesses and enables the builder to detect and reject impure or weak metal and also guards against the liability of the gun sagging or becoming bent or out of a true line, which often occurs in large guns of the ordinary construction; to provide a means to resist or counteract the concussion at the rear end of the bore which shall not be limited, restricted, or confined by the diameter of the bore, thus allowing any detail of the construction to be enlarged upon to augment the strength or resistance to withstand the concussion; to neutralize or counteract the recoil and to enable the gun to be taken apart and put together at pleasure, thus greatly facilitating its trans portation for use or other purposes; also, to allow the inner barrel to be readily removed when injured and another one to be inserted in its stead. Other objects and advantages will appear in the following description.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use thesame, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of a cannon embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, looking inthedirectionindicatedbyt-hearrows. Fig. 3 is a view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1, showing the trunnions and disks or plates in elevation and the securing-bolts and reinforcingribs'in section. Figs. 4 t0 7, inclusive, are detail perspective views of detached parts of the cannon. Fig. 8 is a central sectional view of one of the sections of the cannon formed of a series of disks or plates, illustrating them secured together in a body. Fig. 9 is an end or face View of said portion, showing the construction of the outer disk to receive the securing-rods and reinforcing-ribs, Fig. 10 is a view in side elevation of the rear or breech portion of the cannon. Fig. 11 is a rear face view of the sliding bar which carries the lock or firing mechanism. Fig. 12 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 13 is an enlarged View of the firing lock or mechanism detached from the breech-block; and Fig. 14 is a sectional View of a portion of the body of the cannon, showing a modification in its construction.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

A represents the disks or plates which compose or form the body of the cannon, and are made of any suitable size and material, but preferably of steel, and may be separated one from another throughout the entire length of the body of the cannon, or a part only thereof, by means of thin sheets, disks, or layers of asbestos or other suitable material. These disks are formed with central openings a, which taper toward the muzzle end of the gun and are for the reception of the removable tube or barrel B, which is correspondingly tapered on its outer surface and is provided at its muzzle end with screw-threads to engage a nut b to be used for adjusting said tube within the sections composed of the disks or plates, thereby increasing or decreasing the tension or initial strain throughout the entire length of the disks into which the tube is pressed. 1

One or more of the disks A are provided on their periphery with forked projections a and a for the reception and retention of the securing-bolts O O and reinforcing-ribs O respectively, which ribs extend the entire length of the cannon and support the bearings D for the tubular shaft E, used to aid in resisting the concussion against the breech-block or closure F.

As is clearly shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 8 of the drawings, the projections a are provided on their ends with longitudinal extensions or arms a under which the nuts on the rods 0 and 0 rest and which will prevent the said rods being displaced, as is apparent.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the rod C is passed through an opening in the projection of at the muzzle end of the cannon and also through an opening in the crosshead D at the other end thereof, while the rod 0 passes through an opening in the projection a on a disk at the muzzle end of the gun and through an opening in a like projection a on one of the disks near the rear end of the gun. It will also be observed that the said rods pass through openings in the disks, which form the trunnions and the boxes therefor, and that the disks are more securely bound together in sections by means of the nuts 0 on said rods. While I have shown the rod O secured at its rear end to the cross-head D, yet I may secure it at said end to the disk having the projection at, or may secure the rear end of the rod 0 to the cross-head, and thus attain the same result. The disks A forming the rear portion of the gun, or that portion thereof to the rear of the trunnions, are provided with a number of openings near their peripheries, which taper rearwardly and are for the reception of the correspondingly-tapered rods or bolts B, which extend at their rear ends through openings in the cross-head D and are tightened by means of nuts (I, located on said ends. The disks composing the aforesaid portion of the gun, as well as those forming the other parts thereof, are formed with openings to receive tie rods or bolts b to bind them into sections, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, and for this purpose the disks at the end of each section are formed with countersunk openings to receive the nuts 12 on said rods. One

of said end disks is provided with openings 19 to receive pins 1) on the surface of the adjacent disk thereto, so that the several sections may be united. On that portion of the tapering bolts or rods B between the rear end disk and the cross-head D are placed collars d, which hold the said head at a distance from the rear disk and permit of the operation of the breech-block F, which carries the lock or firing mechanism. This breech-block operates in a horizontal groove fin the rear portion of the rear disk, as is clearly shown in Figs. 2 and of the drawings, and has on its rear surface a sliding or movable wedge-shaped piece f, which is interposed between the cross-head D and the block F and is moved longitudinally by means of a screw f having a bearing f on the rear surface of the block F, and is provided at its outer end with a crank f or similar device to be used for turning the same.

Located in a suitable recess in the breechblock F is the firing mechanism, which is composed of a casing g, on which is movably secured a sliding bar g, near one end of which is pivoted a sear g actuated by means of a spring 72 on the sliding bar, and which sear engages a catch h on the casing. Near the sear is pivotally secured a trigger 71 which is actuated by a spring 71 and has attached to one of its ends a string or wire 71*, to be used when it is desired to release the sear from its catch. Pivotally secured on the casing is a bell-crank lever H, one end of which engages a pin 2' on the sliding bar 9', and its other end the firing-pin I, which extends through the casing and is normally held in a retracted position, as shown. Pivotally secured on the casing is a lever K, which engages a pin 1" on the sliding bar and is connected at its free end to an operating-rod K, which extends through the casing and the end of the breech-block F. WVhen it is desired to operate the firing mechanism, the string or cord 77, may be pulled, which will cause the lever or trigger If to force the sear g out of engagement with the catch h and allow the spring H, which engages at one of its ends the sliding bar g, to force said bar in the direction indicated by dotted lines, which operation will press the firing-pin I against the cartridge or charge with sufficient force to explode the same. The mechanism may again be set or cooked by drawing on the operating-rod K, which will place the parts in the position shown by continuous lines in Fig. 13. The breech-block F is provided with an opening f which may be placed in alinement with the opening e in the cross-head D and the opening in the removable barrel B when it is desired to insert the cartridge or charge, which is passed through the tubular shaft E, said shaft being open at both of its ends for this purpose. L

Secured to the rear ends of the ribs C are two pieces D, which constitute the bearings for the tubular shaft E, and said pieces are formed on their adjacent surfaces with circular recesses Z, having annularly-enlarged recesses Z and 1 adjacent to the cross-head. Within the recesses Z is placed a sleeve L, having an annular enlargement or shoulder Z which lies in the'recess Z. The tubular shaft E is provided at its outer end with a hand-wheel E to turn it and on its other end with a beveled or inclined annular flange e, which flange is located within the recess Z and acts on the shoulder Z of the sleeve L and the cross-head, so that when the tubular shaft is slightly turned to tighten the parts a support or resistance equal to the tensile strength of the ribs will be given to the breech-block to withstand the force of the concussion. The ends of the ribs 0 are formed so as to overlap and engage the disk at the muzzle end of the cannon, and a portion of the disks near each end may be slotted to receive the ribs, as is shown. It is therefore evident that by the transmission of strains through the ribs C the disks A will be, as a whole, further compressed. The disks forming the section on which are located the trunnions are provided with lateral extensions 0, which may be turned so as to form cylindrical projections or trunnions O over which are placed boxes or bearings 0 through whose inner portions the rods C and 0 pass. Each of these boxes is provided with a screw-bolt c in its outer central portion, which passes therethrough and contacts with the end of the trunnion and is used for removing the box from the trunnion when desired, which is done by turning the screw in the proper direction to force the boX or cap outwardly.

Secured on the rear end disk is a springbolt on, which engages the breech-block F and holds it in position so that the opening f therein will be in alinement with the removable tube and tubular shaft, so as to admit the insertion of the cartridge or charge. When the breech-block is pressed inwardly to its limit, this bolt will engage the outer end thereof and prevent its displacement.

In Fig. ll of the drawings I have shown one of the composite sections of the cannon,which illustrates a modification therein and plainly shows the asbestos or sheets A of other material which separate the metal disks. In this modification one of the end disks of each section is provided, as before, with openings 19 to receive dowel-pins b on the adjacent disk, and besides using the tie-rods b for firmly securing the disks and sheets together in a body the sections may be provided with openings b near the periphery of the disks and diametrically opposite for the reception of guide-rods, the use of which will enable the sections to be more readily placed and secured together, as is apparent.

It is obvious that by employing the abovedescribed construction I utilize the principle of an inclined plane to produce a given tension or initial strain throughout the gun with mechanical precision, and by employing the removable composite sections, which, as before stated, may be made of thin disks or plates of steel and may be separated one from another by sheets or layers of asbestos or other material, I avoid or neutralize the injurious eifect of the vibration caused by the explosion of the charge, which vibration, as is well known, will change the molecular construction of the best of metal, and thus soon render the gun unfit for use. By using the sheets of asbestos or other material between the metal disks or plates it is evident that said plates will be insulated, so to speak, one from the other, and I may therefore separate the metal disks in the rear portion only of the gun and may form the front portion of different substancessuch as disks of compressed paper, rawhide, or other suit able material-which vary in weight to pre-- vent the gun sagging at its muzzle. The rear or breech portion of the gun may be made much heavier than is really necessary to meet the demand for strength, so as to utilize the great weight for neutralizing or counteract ing the recoil.

The openings through the dififerentcomposite sections of the gun being tapered toward the muzzle to receive the removable barrel ortube and the openings to receive the tapered bolts B tapering toward the rear of the gun serve a double purpose-as a means of producing a desired degree of tension and also make it practicable to easily remove the barrel or tube and bolts. It will be understood that by tightening the removable tube B by means of its nut b the pressure of said tube in and through the sections is equally distributed throughout the body of the cannon and that when the gun is fired the tension or force on the breech-block carrying the firing mechanism tends to more firmly key the tapering rods B in their seats, and the friction of the projectile in leaving the gun tends to more firmly key the tapering tube or barrel in its seat against the disks in the sections through which it extends.

. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is- I 1. A cannon comprisinglayers or plates provided with a central opening tapering toward the muzzle, means for securing the plates together, the disks or plates in the rear portion of the cannon having openings tapering rearwardly, a removable tube or barrel located in the central opening and correspondingly tapered on its outer surface, rods tapering rearwardly located in said rearwardly-t-apering openings and means for securing said rods therein, substantially as described.

2. A cannon comprising layers or plates provided with a central opening tapering toward the muzzle, means for securing the said disks or plates together, the disks or plates in the rear portion of the cannon having openings tapering rearwardly, a tube or barrel located in the central opening and correspondingly tapered on its outer surface, rods tapering rearwardly located in and extending through said rearwardly-tapering openings, a crosshead secured on the extension of said rods at a distance from the rear disk or plate, substantially as described.

3. A cannon comprisinglayers or plates provided with a central opening tapering toward the muzzle, means for securing the said layers or plates together, the disks or plates in the rear portion of the cannon having openings tapering rearwardly, a tube or barrel located in the central opening and correspondingly tapered on its outer surface, rods tapering rearwardly located in and extending through said rearwardly-tapering openings, a crosshead secured on the extension of said rods, and a breech-block carrying a firing mechanism interposed and operating between the cross-head and rear disk or plate of the cannon, substantially as described.

4. A cannon comprisinglayers or plates provided with a central opening tapering toward the 1nuzzle,means for securing the said layers or plates together, the disks or plates in the rear portion of the cannon having openings tapering rearwardly, a tube or barrel located in the central opening and correspondingly tapered on its outer surface, rods tapering rearwardly located in and extending through said rearwardly-tapering openings, a crosshead secured on the extension of said rods, a breech-block interposed and operating between the cross-head and rear part of the bore, a firing mechanism on said breech-block, and an inclined adjustable piece between the breech-block and cross-head, substantially as described.

5. A cannon comprising a body, a crosshead secured to the body at a distance from the rear of the bore in the body and having an opening in alinement with the bore for the insertion of a projectile, the inner end of said opening being located a sufficient distance from the rear end of the bore to admit of the insertion of a breech-block between it and the bore, the cross-head forming a support for the breech-block when the gun is fired, substantially as described.

6. A cannon comprising a body, a crosshead secured to the body at a distance from the rear of the bore in the body and having an opening in alinement with the bore for the insertion of a projectile, the inner end of said opening being located a sufficient distance from the rear end of the bore, a breech-block located between the inner end of the opening in the cross-head and the rear end of the bore of the gun, the cross-head being formed to support the breech-block, when the gun is fired, substantially as described.

7. A cannon comprising a body, a removable inner barrel located there-in, a cross-head secured to the body at a distance from the rear end of the bore of said barrel and having an opening in alinement with said bore for the insertion of a projectile, a breech-block located between the inner end of the opening in the cross-head and the rear end of the bore in the barrel, the cross-head being formed to support the breech-block when the gun is fired, substantially as described.

8. A cannon comprising layers or plates provided with a central opening tapering toward the muzzle, means for securing the said layers or plates together, a correspondinglytapered tube or barrel located in said opening, reinforcing-ribs engaging the disk at the muzzle end of the cannon and extending past the rear end thereof, a cross-head secured to the rear end of the cannon at a distance therefrom, bearing-pieces secured to the rear ends of the ribs and having in their adj'ament surfaces annular recesses provided with annular enlargements adjacent to the cross-head, a sleeve having on its inner end an annular flange and located in said recesses, a tubular shaft having on its inner end an inclined annular flange, said shaft located in said sleeve, and the flange thereof interposed between the bearing-pieces and the cross-head, substantially as described.

9. A cannon comprising layers or plates provided with a central opening tapering toward the muzzle, means for securing the said layers or plates together, a correspondinglytapered tube or barrel located in said openin g, reinforcing-ribs engaging the disk at the muzzle end of the cannon and extending past the rear end thereof, a cross-head secured to the rear end of the cannon at a distance therefrom, bearing-pieces secured to the rear ends of the ribs, and having in their adjacent surfaces annular recesses provided with annular enlargements adjacent to the cross-head, a sleeve having on its inner end an annular flange and located in said recesses, a tubular shaft having on its inner end an inclined annular flange, said shaft located in said sleeve, and the flange thereof interposed between the bearing-pieces and the cross-head, a breechblock carrying a firing mechanism, an inclined piece adj ustablysecured on said block, said piece and block adapted to be interposed between the cross-head and rear of the bore in the cannon, substantially as described.

EDWIN J. BLOOD.

WVitnesses:

CHAS. O. TILLMAN, E. A. DUGGAN. 

